What
does it mean “natural”, “organic” fibers?
" Organic" label is used only if the fiber and
manufacturing process is certified by appropriate agency (more below). It's
less definite with "natural" or "earth friendly" fibers but
it communicates well the intent. Natural Clothing to us means that it is grown
without pesticides, without genetically modified organism, use low impact dyes
and made in inspected production facilities, under fair trade and labor
conditions and sweatshop free.
Isn’t it going too far – wearing “organic” clothing?
Each of us has an individual standard on how far we want or
need to go with organic clothing. Whether we like it or not - the amount of
pesticides, fertilizers and toxic chemicals used in crops, especially in
growing cotton - affects all of us now and forever. As long as we buy a
conventional cotton t-shirt, we need to realize - about third of a pound of
toxins went into producing just that one item. Then the decision is ours.
So how do I know that
your clothing is really organic? Is it certified?
Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that
have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and
maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and
fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. (www.ota.com) Organic
certification includes inspection, testing of soils, water, processing and
more. A lot of organic cotton comes from
organic farms in Asia and South America, so they are most often certified by
SKAL International, www.skal.com, an internationally recognized body based in the
Netherlands that inspects organic production methods. Despite growing
popularity of organic cotton, it still accounts for only 0.03% of the total
cotton production. Keep in mind this
number when comparing the prices!
Organic Clothing on our website comes from several different
manufacturers. It might be no surprise that as the whole US economy crumbles,
the organic manufacturers go through tough times, too. Many of them are in a
process of re-organization or adjusting their focus. We take great care to
investigate each one of them, as well as their certifications. International
cotton used in blended textiles is SKAL Certified to be 100% organic. Hemp is
naturally grown under organic condition as well as bamboo used in our products.
Where is the clothing
produced? I want to support US made products.
Absolutely. It is our goal as well and we are in a process
of creating clothing line made locally. The 100% organic cotton products are
made in USA, grown and milled in Texas and Georgia. Linen items are produced in
USA, locally in Washington. But there is no american growing of hemp or bamboo
and we don't want american GMO soy. Our resources come from few different
directions, allowing on diversity in products and costs. Hemp and hemp/flax
blend comes from Romania, where it is organically grown and manufactured with
chemical free processing and eco-friendly dies and finishes. Part of the
organic cotton line is made in India. Both production facilities are under Fair
Trade guidelines. Bamboo and soy products are manufactured in China by British
Columbia company HT Naturals. They exert strict control over all the steps and
conditions of manufacturing. "HTnaturals is committed to producing top
quality, competitively priced apparel through innovation and insight, rather
than thoughtless business practices that exploit the environment or our workers.
HTnaturals has established strict third party inspection criteria for our
Shanghai factories. The facilities are inspected on a quarterly basis to the
guidelines set out by the Fair Labor Association. Additionally, senior
HTnaturals production managers travel to China at least once per quarter to
personally inspect the facilities. We do not condone or use sweatshop labour
and inspect our facilities to monitor these and other working conditions".
Do you ship internationally? I don’t see my country code…
We can ship outside U.S. but each transaction has to be handled individually (at this time), as there are different
procedures.
Unfortunately, due to amount of illegal scams, we are not able to accept the credit
cards for now on International orders, except B.C. Canada.
We accept cashiers check or direct bank transfer. Shipping charges will be
calculated separately to find the most economical way for you. Please contact us with
specifics and we’ll be glad to help as well as check the inventory status for
the right color and size. If that sounds OK with you, we'll be happy to work with
you.
Are your products vegan? Are you vegan?
There are no products on our website, which involve animal products or by-products. There are no silk threads, no leather in shoes or bags, nor animal byproducts in dyes. Previously, we listed few items made out of wool but when the vegan customer David inquired about that, we did more research on a subject. We realized that using animal products, even as innocently sounding as wool, can open the door to problems. Long story short, we took these items off the site. It is interesting. Some people might look at avoiding wool or leather as going overboard but frankly, right now there are many more animals treated cruelly, dehorned, castrated without anesthetic, than living in decent conditions. We just don't want to support that.
Personally, we are not vegan ourselves, though I am walking the path closer and closer to that direction, feeling fabulous on raw food diet but can't keep 100%. Yet... We grow our own organic veggies and fruits, which puts main focus on plants and herbs but still, my family is omnivorous. We have free range chicken and goats; they'll never see the ax but kids eat the eggs. We have tremendous respect for vegans and the principles they stand for. We look at life as a learning and growing path of better harmony with all living creatures.
What about your textiles? Aren't you going to say anything about their properties?
Of course we are! Please see our pages under hemp, organic cotton, bamboo or soy categories for extensive information on each fiber.
We have one planet for all of us, we need
solutions, which work for all of us. We are all in it together. Majority of all the world's crops are by now "conventional",
which means they are sprayed mercilessly with health endangering chemicals. That's
true for China, as well as South America, Europe and U.S. Some are just worse
than others. The animal kingdom, necessary to sustain the plant life is struggling
to survive. At this point many basic crops like corn, cotton, soybeans are 70,
80 or 90% genetically modified to withstand chemicals and accumulated toxins affects human health. At this high percentage of GMO we are probably at
point of no return on these crops. 
